School Specialty Proud to Support the New York City Department of Education Universal Pre-K ("UPK") Initiatives With Its Classroom Select(R), Childcraft(R) and Bird-in-Hand(R) Furniture Lines

Published 9:00 AM ET Thu, 17 Sept 2015
Globe Newswire

GREENVILLE, Wis., Sept. 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- School Specialty, Inc. (OTCQB:SCOO) ("School Specialty", "SSI" or "the Company"), a leading distributor of supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources to the education marketplace, is once again aiding the New York City Department of Education ("DOE") in its Universal Pre-K initiative.

The Company announced today, that it has successfully outfitted 175 school locations with 365 classroom sets, consisting of thousands of different products under its Classroom Select®, Childcraft® and Bird-in-Hand® furniture lines. Products supplied ran the gamut – from desks, tables and chairs, to easels, drying racks, blocks and block storage, bins, rugs, book shelves; everything a classroom needed, School Specialty was able to provide. This was all part of the NYC Department of Education's two-year plan to execute a massive expansion of pre-K classrooms throughout schools across the five boroughs of New York City.

What made this year all the more special was that School Specialty was able to complete all installations within a six-week window and in many cases, much less. This was made possible as the Company was able to leverage its proven expertise from its Projects-by-Design group, which provided significant program management and fulfillment capabilities. The School Specialty team worked closely with the DOE's Division of Early Childhood and Office of Pre-K Expansion, and from the time the contracts were awarded, worked to ensure all locations and classrooms were outfitted with every essential furniture item, prior to the back-to-school season. As the number of schools increased and student enrollment within certain classes changed, School Specialty was not only able to meet, but exceed what was needed. Whereas in year one, the Company provided five line items, this year included approximately 40. This was a testament to not only the full assortment within the Company's proprietary offerings, but its ability to service the requirements of this most important customer, as well as those of the teachers and children.

"Early childhood development is at the core of education and cities like New York are placing such a strong emphasis on ensuring our children receive the critical educational support in the early years," stated Ed Carr, EVP of Sales with School Specialty. "In addition to proprietary furniture lines supplied as part of the UPK programs, we also provide NYC with a host of educational supplies and supplemental learning materials. It truly is our honor to be working with such a dedicated community of educators in New York and we especially want to thank the Office of Early Childhood and Office of Pre-K Expansion for their continued trust in our Company. Every member of the School Specialty team looks forward to meeting their needs for years to come."

About School Specialty, Inc.

School Specialty is a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to the education marketplace. The Company designs, develops, and provides educators with the latest and very best school supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential. For more information about School Specialty, visit www.schoolspecialty.com.

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Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Information

Any statements made in this press release about School Specialty's future financial condition, results of operations, expectations, plans, or prospects, constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements also include those preceded or followed by the words "anticipates," "believes," "could," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "projects," "should," "targets" and/or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on School Specialty's current estimates and assumptions and, as such, involve uncertainty and risk. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements because of a number of factors, including the factors described in Item 1A of School Specialty's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 25, 2015, which factors are incorporated herein by reference. Any forward-looking statement in this release speaks only as of the date in which it is made. Except to the extent required under the federal securities laws, School Specialty does not intend to update or revise the forward-looking statements.